The lids of conventional toilet seats do not provide sufficient back or neck support for many of its users. Typically, when one sits down to use a traditional household toilet, the toilet seat rests parallel to the ground while the lid of the toilet is raised up, leaning on the top portion of the toilet's tank or the tank's lid. These toilet lids have a hardened surface and have a completely straight slope; this renders the lid incapable of providing adequate back support by virtue of the fact that the lid does not conform to the curvatures of a user's spine. Moreover, the slope of the lid does not encourage correct posture, nor does it relieve pressure from a user's spine when in a seated position. Further, in most cases, even if the lid of the toilet seat does conform to the curvatures of a user's spine, frequently the lid is positioned too far away for a user to rest their back on it.
Afflictions of the back, particularly those of the lower back, are a prominent issue in today's society. It has been shown that sitting with incorrect posture, especially for prolonged periods of time, can cause new back ailments and can exacerbate preexisting ones. Specifically, these issues can lead to back strain, neck strain, muscular pain, and other musculoskeletal ailments. Leaning on the conventional toilet lid for support while using a toilet results in incorrect spine alignment as well as incorrect weight distribution.
To avoid these problems, one should endeavor to sit with proper posture. This entails maintaining the natural curvature of one's lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine and distributing one's body weight evenly on both hips, all while maintaining proper spinal alignment. More specifically, to maintain correct posture while in a seated position, one's neck (cervical spine) should be vertical and approximately in line with their torso (thoracic spine) and lumbar spine. Further, one's ears should also be in alignment with their shoulders while in this position.
As noted, one's neck also plays an integral role in maintaining proper spine alignment. This is because improper positioning of the neck causes great difficulty in maintaining correct posture, which in turn has a strong effect on spinal alignment. This aspect of maintaining spine alignment is often overlooked in existing portable back supports. When one is forced to sit for a prolonged period of time without proper neck support, people tend to compensate by leaning the head forward. Forward-leaning head posture can result in the misalignment of one's spine resulting in chronic pain, numbness in the hands or arms, as well as pinched nerves and improper, inefficient breathing.
Notwithstanding the above, most individuals who attempt to sit in this ideal sitting position for a prolonged time without proper back support will experience musculoskeletal discomfort. This is due to the atypical stress placed on one's musculoskeletal system while engaging in this ideal sitting position.
Neither back support cushions nor neck support cushions presently in use adequately provide support for a toilet seat user's back and neck. This is in part due to the slope of the lid that exists while the lid rests on the toilet's tank, as well as the relatively large distance between the posterior spine of a user sitting in a correct upright posture and the tilted lid of the toilet seat. Also, portable back supports in present use have the problem of sliding relative to the toilet lid when the pressure of the back is applied to them. Therefore, they lack the necessary stability to provide proper support.
Complex orthopedic back supports may address some of the aforementioned issues with back support cushions, but those supports are very expensive and in many cases impractical. The majority of these back support devices are difficult to set up and require awkward movements that can further aggravate back ailments. Also, setting up these devices is frequently time-consuming and for an individual who is seeking to utilize the toilet, time can be a highly sensitive issue.
Additionally, if one leaves one of the aforementioned complex support devices on the toilet at all times, it limits the ability to utilize the toilet in a normal manner. Further, many individuals want to be discreet about their back ailments and find having an orthopedic device attached to their toilet at all times undesirable. Finally, users are currently unable to adapt these devices to toilets outside the user's home without carrying or traveling with these devices all while taking the time and effort to install them prior to each use.
While several of the inventions in the prior art have attempted to address these drawbacks, detailed above, none adequately address all of the aspects of a successful portable adjustable slide-resistant back and neck support for use on a conventional toilet seat. The present invention and its embodiments provide for proper and comfortable back and neck support for a user on a toilet that allows said user to maintain correct posture while alleviating the undesired symptoms such as back discomfort and encouraging proper biomechanics of the back and neck. The disclosed invention may be adapted for use on other structures intended for sitting such as chairs, benches, etc.